Thursday, 2 February 2017

After Daesh, East Mosul residents face uncertain future

After Daesh, East Mosul residents face uncertain future

MOSUL:
When Daesh (ISIS) militants swept into Mosul in 2014, they wandered
into Manaf Younes’ billiards hall and declared it un-Islamic, taking
away his billiard balls with a stern warning.
A hall that was
often packed with players until midnight was suddenly abandoned.
Photographs of awards that made Younes proud gathered dust for two years
and the billiard tables remained covered up.
Iraqi government
forces have now pushed the militants out of east Mosul and are poised to
attack the west. While Younes is thrilled, like many other small
businessmen in the city, his joy is tempered by uncertainty as he tries
to revive his former life.
Daesh imposed a radical version of Islam in Mosul after establishing the country’s second-biggest city as its de facto capital.
“I
am broke. I had to sell my two cars to survive. Now my landlord is
demanding two years of back rent,” said Younes, picking up a trophy that
reminded him of the old days.
He frowned at explosions in the
distance, where Iraqi forces and militants are exchanging fire along the
Tigris River that bisects the sprawling metropolis, once a trade hub
and center for higher learning.
“These explosions hurt the business. They shake the billiard tables and make them imbalanced,” he said.
The fighting has already caused widespread destruction.
U.S.-led
airstrikes have demolished scores of buildings and left huge craters
that destroyed roads. Rooftops have collapsed into the bottom floors.
Other buildings have gaping holes from rockets or machinegun fire.
Mortar bombs still land in the city and gunfire is heard.
Across
from Younes’ billiard hall stands what’s left of Mosul University, once
one of the finest education institutions in the Middle East.
Daesh
sold the university’s ancient manuscripts and imposed its own form of
education, banning philosophy books. When the army arrived, the
militants burned down many of its buildings, leaving piles of ashes.
A
few pages of textbooks on hematology and diffusion were scattered on
floors cluttered with debris. Upstairs in the cafeteria were blackened
tables and chairs, below huge holes from airstrikes.
A few bakers and restaurant owners in the neighborhood stood mostly idle. They too recalled hardships under Daesh rule.
The
militants and their wives would show up clutching AK-47 assault rifles
and jump to the front of queues, demanding discounts, they said.
One
restaurant owner, Qusay Ahmad, said he was dragged away to a Daesh jail
and tortured for four months after militants accused him of stealing.
“They ripped my toenails off with pliers,” he said.
The torturers may be gone, but there are new challenges.
He and other restaurant owners have no potable water and scarce electricity, and hardly any customers.